Chicken Garbanzo Bake (gluten free, low sodium)

Chicken Garbanzo Bake

G-man helped make lunch today: Chicken Garbanzo Bake. He stirred up the sauce, tasting how tart tomatoes with a touch of sweet molasses combine perfectly. I held my breath as he sampled the plain garbanzos.

[I had made the mistake a few months ago of calling them "chick peas," and he had decided he did not like peas any more. Chick peas are peas, right? They taste more like a peanut. Technically, they are legumes like peas, but so are peanuts. He was not convinced. We looked at one up close. See how they are round, yellow, and have tiny little beaks? They look like chicks. They aren't really peas... Peas are green. Our three year-old just stared as I tried to win him over with logic.]

*Whew* G-man excitedly nibbled on a garbanzo, then popped a couple more into his mouth. Stealthy Dad started writing the names of new foods on a Thomas the Train calendar and G-man was anxious to have a new entry. He dumped the garbanzos into the baking dish. I placed the chicken thighs over them and he poured on the sauce. A little over an hour later we had sweet, tender glazed chicken with nutty, roasted garbanzos.... After lunch, when it was time to mark the calendar, he requested that I write "chick peas."

8oz unsalted tomato sauce
2 tbsp molasses
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 lbs (about 4 pieces) organic chicken thighs
2-4 cups cooked garbanzos. (These can be canned and well-rinsed, or precooked from dry. You can precook and freeze garbanzos ahead of time to reduce cost and sodium.)

Line the bottom of a small casserole with the garbanzos. Cover with the chicken, and then pour the sauce over top. Bake for about an hour at 375F. If using frozen chicken, add 15-20 minutes to the baking time.

An earlier post featured this recipe. I modified the sauce a bit today, taking out the brown sugar so it would not scorch on top. No one noticed the difference because garbanzos are naturally sweet on their own.





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This recipe was shared at Gluten Free Wednesdays, Full Plate Thursday and the Ultimate Recipe Swap.